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November 7 - 13, 2008 The Independent Weekly 34 www.independentweekly.com.au sportsbeat Sportsbeat magazine available in hotels and clubs every Friday David Mundy’s home run I t was 100 years ago that Jack Norworth sat on a Manhattan train and on a piece of scrap paper scribbled the lyrics to Take Me Out To The Ball Game. It is regarded as the third-biggest hit song of all time. David Mundy, a legend of Australian baseball, is now inviting you to a ball game, too, just like they did in the old days. After a 20-year break, the sport has gone back to the home plate by reviving the famous Claxton Shield, which, rather appropriately for baseball, is celebrating its 75th diamond anniversary. To honour this revival, each state will select its finest 22 players over the years, and from the nominations the Australian Baseball Federation will name a Diamond Anniversary All-Star Team. Mundy, 61, who was coach of SA’s last Claxton Shield team in 1988 when SA made an incredible recovery to play in the final and beat NSW, is almost certain to be selected. An inaugural inductee of the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame, Mundy was one of the finest shortstops (and a relief pitcher) this state and Australia has ever produced. He played Claxton Shield for 17 seasons, and later became coach of state and national junior and senior teams. He won SA baseball’s highest individual honour, the Capps Medal, in 1971-72. The new Claxton Shield will see state teams from SA, Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia compete from December 2-February 8 in all states, including regional areas such as Mount Gambier. Visit www.baseball.com.au for the draw. Coinciding with the revival of the shield – in the same season as Australian cricket has reverted to the Sheffield Shield for its interstate competition – an SA Claxton Shield Club is being formed, with former player Noel Gully as its driving force. With other SA greats, including Phil Alexander, Greg Elkson, John Galloway,Kevin Greatrex, Neil Page, Don Rice, Brian Vaughton and the Roberts brothers, Dave, Darren and Gerry, Mundy expects to do his share of reminiscing, and hopes the “old boys” club will also create more awareness about baseball. But, at the same time, Mundy says he likes to always look to the next base. “We’ve had our go, and it’s time for today’s players and administrators to take the game forward,” he adds. Mundy is excited about the latest format for the Claxton Shield, and congratulates today’s administra- tions at both state and national level for achieving positive and promis- ing results with limited resources. Like everyone in this game here, he would love SA baseball to have a home with a grandstand, and Ashley Porter greater exposure, but he says he remains optimistic about the game’s future by the many positives baseball has to offer. “Unfortunately, the money is not always there, like some other sports,” Mundy said. “And now that baseball is no longer part of the Olympics, it is going to get harder and hurt even more because that’s where the funding goes. “It’s a user pays system in baseball with juniors paying for their own trips interstate, and even the senior players paying a levy. It’s always been like that, but out of this has also come a lot of character. “To me, an Australian way of life is community-based sport. Baseball has a lot of clubs, which is a saviour because the more clubs you have, the more people you have involved. I learned when I taught at a country school in Wudinna for three years how important community-based sporting activity is to a town, and how much life it gives.The suburbs can be like that, too. “I genuinely believe that with more funds baseball will be able to promote itself better as a career pathway for our better players. Our guys not only play in America, but around the world ... Taiwan, Japan, Holland; everywhere, even Russia. Some make millions, others might not make a great living but for a young person it’s not a bad way to travel abroad. “Unfortunately, unlike soccer, and even Australian football, when players go to the big leagues, like in America, we do not get anything. Our players are free agents, which makes them appealing to the overseas clubs. We are trying to change that. “Sometimes the kids see a young man like Grant Balfour from Bankstown, Sydney, pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays, and they want to be like him. Being a retired teacher, I’m biased, but I like to see the kids first go to college teams there where they can also get an education. It also gives them a chance to get to know what it’s all about. Some kids have been signed for $50,000, but because of the visa situation they can be cut after one season. “Also, they get paid only for the season and that’s it. They need enough to live off for the whole year, and find their own accommodation. In the American system you can also get traded at any time. One day you could be playing in New Mexico, and New York the next. It just takes a phone call and you are out of town and on the plane.” About 70 Australians are now playing in the top three baseball leagues in the US, and it may surprise many that more than 20 international players are compet- Australian Baseball Hall of Fame member David Mundy. Photo: Stephen Gray Our guys not only play in America, but around the world ... Taiwan, Japan, Holland; everywhere, even Russia. Some make millions, others might not make a great living but for a young person it’s not a bad way to travel abroad. ing in our state league. They come here for the experience during the off-season overseas, in some cases to learn the language, while others treat it as a working holiday and, in the process, raise the level of the local product. The SA Baseball League has 74 senior teams in seven divisions, representing 16 clubs, plus five junior grades and four little-league competitions for ages 8-12. Baseball has competed with cricket for many years now, and Mundy has represented SA at both, having played two Sheffield Shield matches in the 1969-70 season. He was a very capable medium-pacer, a hard-hitting batsman and, of course, a super fieldsman, but he had to vie for a place in the SA team with Test fast bowlers Neil Hawke, Allan Frost, Eric Freeman and Jeff Hammond, plus spinners Terry Jenner, Ashley Mallett and Lance Gibbs. Ironically, the founder of the Claxton Shield was equally successful at cricket. It was named after Norman Claxton (1877-1951), who played baseball, league football with North Adelaide and cricket for SA, with his highest score 199 not out and best bowling figures 5-56 from 39 Sheffield Shield matches. Mundy recalled the days when he was playing or training every night for baseball or cricket, except Fridays, but ultimately he always knew his greater love for baseball would prevail when he needed to make a choice. He met his other love,Kathy, his wife of 38 years, after playing cricket in Perth. Baseball has taken Mundy across many parts of the world as a player, and later as a junior and senior coach of Australian teams. As a youngster he was offered a scholar- ship to attend the Washington State University to play baseball, but his mum and dad could not afford the required bond. “I have no regrets,” Mundy said. On any given Thursday night you can find Mundy at his nearby local club, Port Adelaide, helping the young players and occasionally coaching primary school kids how to bat or throw. He has never stopped giving something back to the sport. “Baseball has always been great to me,” Mundy said. “I was in grade five when I first played baseball, and it has been my life ever since. Once you get involved in baseball it grabs you by the gloveand won’t let you go. You should come out to a ball game.”